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State new hub of narcotics supply to Maldives
Telangana has emerged as the main hub for exporting opium to Maldives. With Ganja cultivation widely prevalent in Warangal, Eturunagaram and Khammam and the close proximity to Western Ghats, it is sourced by drug dealers, who bring it to Hyderabad and from there to Cochin, Tuticorin and Trivandrum before finally reaching the Maldivian capital Male.
Hyderabad: Telangana has emerged as the main hub for exporting opium to Maldives. With Ganja cultivation widely prevalent in Warangal, Eturunagaram and Khammam and the close proximity to Western Ghats, it is sourced by drug dealers, who bring it to Hyderabad and from there to Cochin, Tuticorin and Trivandrum before finally reaching the Maldivian capital Male.
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According to Akun Sabharwal, director, Drug Control Administration, who conducted a study on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS), so far the opium-growing triangle of Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand along with the golden crescent Afghanistan and Pakistan were the major sources of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances to Maldives.
Now Telangana has also joined the list.Speaking to The Hans India, Sabharwal said, “Cannabis sativa plant grows in the wild in the agency areas and near Sileru River in Andhra Pradesh. The modus operandi of drug dealers earlier was to source heroin and other drugs from North India. Now, they are procuring cannabis from Warangal and Khammam, powder the leaves, make a paste or just crush the leaves and pack them in small satchels and take it to Maldives by air or sea to Cochin, via Tuticorin and Trivandrum.
A considerable amount of drug is smuggled through sea routes.The derivatives of cannabis are marijuana (grass pot, nether weed, skunk and weed). The drug costs about Rs 1000 a kg but its price goes up 15 times when packed in small satchels. Maldives, a nation of 1200 islands of which 200 are inhabited with a majority of the population residing in the capital Male, has no agricultural land and is solely dependent on fishing and tourism.
Drug menace started when the nation opened its doors to tourism in the ‘70s. With more than 50 per cent of the population young, drug abuse is coincided with the development of tourism. Out of the 1200 inhabited islands, close to 100 are exclusive tourist resorts. Most ofthe drugs make their way into the island nation via sea and air.
According to the Narcotics Control Board, most of the drugs smuggled into Maldives are cannabinoids and account for 34 per cent. Seizures by Indian and Sri Lankan authorities destined for the Maldives appear eight times the average seizures within the country. Maldives gained independence from the British in 1965.
By:T P Venu
